Key and key-action for organs or similar musical instruments.



G. S. HASKELL; DECD. R. o. HASKBLL, ADMINISTRATRIX. KEY AND KEY ACTIONFOR ORGANS 0R SIMILAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 18,1907.

921,610. Patented May 11, 1909.

INVENTOR:

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RUTH G. HASKELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ADMINISTRATRIX OFCHARLES S. HASKELL, DECEASED.

KEY AND KEY-ACTION FOR ORGANS OR SIMILAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

ueeencio.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Original application filed October 16, 1905, Serial N0. 283,014. Dividedand this application filed July 18, 1907. Serial No. 384:,486.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that CHARLES S. HxsKnLL, deceased, late a citizen of theUnited States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State ofPennsyl 'ania, did invent new and useful lmprovement-s in Keys and KeActions for Organs and Similar Musical Instruments, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in keys for organs and similarmusical instruments and certain devices associated with the said keys,and the principal object of the said invention is the provision ofself-adjusting key mechanism for the key manual; that is to say, keys,the construction and arrangement of which render unnecessary thepresence or use of special adjusting means, as, for instance, screws, bymeans of which the contraction and the expansion of the various parts ofthe structure, including the supports for the keys, are compensated for.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the detaileddescription thereof.

A convenient embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawing, but it is to be understood that changes in the details ofconstruction may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention.

The drawing shows a section of a portion of an or an one key beingrepresented in side elevation and portions of a second key in sideelevation.

This application is a division of the copending application for patentnumbered starts, and it is to be understood that the number andarrangement of keys may be the same as is illustrated and indicated inthe said patent, or the numbe and arrangement may be varied, if desired.

In the drawing, 1 designates a portion of a key box which is of usual ordesired construction.

2 designates the organ keys, of which two only are shown. In order thatthe outer ends of the keys may be held normallyin an upward position, asindicated in the drawing, there are provided springs t, one of which islocated under each key of the key manual and is connected to such key,and

the outer end of which is separated or bent away from the key and is incontact. with a buffer or bar 5 which limits the downward movement ofthe outer end of the keys. It is to be understood that normally the saidsprings are under greater or less tension. The inner end of each key ofthe key manual extends in 'ardly to points underneath a wind box.

Tn the drawings but one wind box is shown. Such additional keys and windboxes as may be employed have the same construction and relativearrangement as is shown in the drawings. Valves are located in the windboxes, which valves are adapted to close ports 16 and to be opened bymeans of valve stems 17 connected thereto. The lower ends of said valvestems project through perforations 18 in line with the ports 16. Theperforations 18 are slightly greater in diameter than the diameters ofthe valve stems so that annular spaces are formed around the valve stemsfor a purpose to be hereinafter stated. The lower ends of the said valvestems are provided with valves 19 which are adapted to close theperforations 18 when the valve stems 17 are raised to open the valves15. The valves 19 are held upon the valve stems by means of buttons 19on the lower ends of the said 'alve stems.

The lower ends of the valve stems 17 are respectively located shortdistances immediately above the inner ends of the respective keys. Eachof the valves 15 is supported by a spring and is normally pressed downupon the bottom of the wind box in winch it is located, as clearly shownin the drawings. The upper ends of the valve stems pass through thesprings 20 as indicated.

In order that the keys may be self-adjusting, thatis, in order that thekeys may move up and down through short distances, due to the expansionand contraction of the supports 21, which are usually preferably ofwood, without rendering necessary a readjustment thereof, there areprovided the inner ends of each of the keys with a spring 22, theextreme inner free end of the spring being located, as previouslystated, a short dis tance underneath the lower ends of the valve stems17 that is, underneath the buttons 19.

By reason of the fact that the inner ends of the springs 22 are locateda short distance underneath the lower ends of the said valve stems, thesaid keys may assume slightly different positions relatively to the saidvalve stems, due to the expansion and contraction of various parts ofthe structure, without coming into contact with the said valve stems.Also there may be accidental slight depression of a key without openingits corresponding valve 15.

As already indicated, 5 designates a bufier underneath the outer endsofthe keys to limit the movement of such outer ends. Upward movement ofthe keys is limited by a buffer stop 2%. The distance between the outerend of a key and its buffer 5 is such that when it is depressed and theinner end of its spring reaches the limit of its movement, the outer endof such key continues to move down, in consequence of which said springis slightly bent and placed under tension. In other words, there is acertain amount of-lost motion due to the fact that the distance throughwhich the inner end of a key is permitted to move is relatively lessthan the distance through which the outer end of such key is permittedto move when it is depressed. There is also lost motion due to the factthat the inner end of the key, that is, the inner end of the spring, islocated a short distance below the lower end of it corresponding valvestem 17.

As the valves 15 are held in position upon the bottom of the wind box inwhich they may be located by the springs 20, it is evident that the saidspring must be weaker.

than the springs 22 at the inner ends of the keys, so that the tensionof the said springs may be overcome by the springs 22 in their upwardmovement so as to open the valves 15. It is to be noted here that thesprings 20 serve both the purpose of holding said valves in positionupon the bottom of the wind box to close the ports or openings 16leading from the said wind box and the said springs act as guides toreturn the said valves into accurate position after they have beenelevated from their respective seats.

25 designates passageways (only one of which is shown) located in whatmay be termed the bottom of the wind box, the said passageways beingconnected to supply tubes or channels 26.

It is desirable that after communication between a wind box and thesupply tubes or channels connected therewith has been closed by thevalves 15, the air within the said tubes or channels should returnquickly to normal pressure; that is, the pressure of the outsideatmosphere. It is to accomplish this result that the annular spacesaround the valve stem 17 within the perforations 18 are provided. Thequick return of the air within the supply tubes or channels to normalair pressure prevents the speaking of the organs after a key or anynumber of keys of the key manual has been released and permitted toreturn to normal elevated position.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In organ construction, in combination, an organ key having a springextension upon its inner end, a wind box provided with a port oropening, a valve for closing the said opening, means interposed betweenthe said valve and the inner end of the said spring whereby the saidvalve may be opened, the

said means being separated a short distance from the said inner end ofthe spring when the latter is at rest.

In organ construction, the combination of an organ key having a springextension upon its inner end, a wind box provided with a port or openina valve for closing the said opening, a supply tube or channelcommunicating with the said opening, a perforation through the bottom ofthe said wind box, a valve stem extending from the said valve throughthe said perforation, the diameter of the said valve stem being lessthan the diameter of the said perforation, a valve upon the said stemwhich is adapted to close and open the said perforation, the saidlastmentioned valve being adapted to be closed by the action of the saidspring extension thereon.

3. In organ construction, the combination of organ keys having springextensions upon their inner ends, a wind box provided with ports oropenings, perforations through the bottom of the said box in alinementrespectivelywith the said ports or openings, valves for closing therespective ports or openings, the said valves being provided with valvestems which extend through the said perforations, the diameters of thesaid stems being less than the diameters of the said perforations,valves upon the lower ends of the said valve stems underneath the saidperforations, the lower ends of the said valve stems being locatednormally a short distance from the inner ends of the spring extensionsand adapted to be raised by the upward movement of the said extensions,whereby the said valves are adapted to open the said ports or openingsand close the said perforations, and supply tubes or channelscommunicating respectively with the said ports or openings.

4-. In organ construction, a wind box, a plurality of openingscommunicating with the said wind box, a plurality of supply tubes orchannels extending into the bottom of the said wind box andcommunicating with the said openings, perforations in the bottom of thesaid box in alinement with the said openings, valve stems having valvesupon the opposite end portions thereof, which are adapted to close thesaid openings and the said perforations, springs in the said wind-boxnormally holding the said valves in position to close the said openingsand to open the said perforations, the upper ends of the valve stemsextending through the said springs whereby the latter act as guides tohold the valves in proper position, and keys having spring extensionsupon their inner ends which are separated normally from the lower endsof the said WIlYQ stems. 5 In testimony that. I claim the foregoing as gthe invention of CHARLES I'IASKELL, cleoeased, i hereunto sign my namethis seventeenth day of July 1907.

RUTH C. HASKELL, ll(1min'fstraf/w; of the estate 0 Charles 13'.

Haskell, deceased.

In the presence (rt- RUTH bl. lasnnnn, Josnru L. l i'rzra'rmoii.

